Like hubby, like wife: Melania cuts BLOATED payroll from Michelle O days

(National Sentinel) Budget Cutter: It seems Melania Trump has taken some lessons from her businessman-turned-presidential husband: She has dramatically cut back on first lady payroll swollen by her predecessor, Michelle “You Serve Me” Obama.

Even though she’s very active in her role, she is running one of the leanest offices in modern history, Fox Newsreports:

According to a Fox News analysis of White House personnel reports, Melania Trump has significantly reduced the number of aides on the first lady’s office payroll in comparison to her predecessor, Michelle Obama.

During then-President Barack Obama’s first year in office, 16 people were listed working for Michelle Obama, earning a combined $1.24 million a year.

This year, just four people were listed working for Melania Trump as of June. Their salaries totaled $486,700.

To conservatives concerned with the size of the federal deficit, Melania’s moves to cut payroll are seen as saving taxpayer’s money and doing what she can to trim the budget.

To big government liberals, this move will likely be seen as “Melania is cutting jobs and destroying people’s livelihood.”

But the fact is, the first lady has obviously analyzed her operation and concluded she can do more with less.

“As with all things that she does, she is being very deliberate in her hiring, focusing on quality over quantity,” first lady communications director Stephanie Grisham said in an email.

“It is important to her that the team is a good fit for what she wants to accomplish as first lady, and that everyone works well together. She also wants to be mindful and responsible when it comes to taxpayer money,” she added.

Fox News:

The details are contained in an annual report the White House sends to Congress showing the names, positions and salaries of all its personnel. Both the Obama and Trump administrations acknowledged several additional staffers beyond those listed in the report with the term “first lady” in their titles. But even counting all those employees — 24 for Michelle Obama and nine for the current first lady — Melania Trump’s office is relatively small.

The 2009 report to Congress showed the first lady with 16 staffers, though her press secretary said at the time the staff actually included 24 people. A 2009 FactCheck.org story said Obama’s 24 aides might have broken records.

“That may indeed be the largest of any first lady, but Hillary Clinton, with 19 staffers, and Laura Bush with at least 18 and perhaps more, weren’t far behind,” FactCheck.org said.

“She is more like a Pat Nixon or a Bess Truman than a Hillary Clinton or a Michelle Obama,” Andrew Och, a first lady historian who was a producer for the C-SPAN’s “First Ladies: Influence and Image” series, said of Melania Trump.

Either way, we applaud the first lady and President Donald J. Trump for sticking true to their pledge to drain the swamp.